Adjunct Expectations

Adjunct instructors are expected to adhere to our DCE contractual obligations to ensure
the institutional standards are met and the quality of instruction is upheld. Please
see the following points regarding what is expected of adjuncts instructors who teach
at MCC:

We recognize that you are here because you have a strong commitment to education;
and our students are here because they want an affordable education that will help
them improve their lives.

Keeping that in mind, please understand, and make clear to your students that classes must start on time and end at the assigned time, with meaningful work in between. Whether your class runs from 7:30am to 8:20am or
from 6pm to 8:45pm, that entire class period should be filled with opportunities for
intellectual growth and exploration. Both our students and our accrediting agency,
NEASC, expect this. Please inform your Dean or Asst. Dean is you will not meet with your class for any
portion of this time.

Sometimes unpredictable events occur in everyone’s life. But there are a number of
ways to make sure that you meet your class time obligation. When you cannot instruct
your class at the last minute, a Student Affairs professional may be available to
deliver a general presentation relevant to all MCC students. Check availability at
MCC Speaks!https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/deanofstudents/mccspeaks.aspx

In addition, there are other valuable make up alternatives in our DCE contract for
faculty who have canceled classes. Our DCE contract provides the following methods
to you for making up class time with the prior approval of the College:

1. schedule a meeting of the class on another day that is mutually agreeable to the
unit member, the students and the College;2. begin earlier and/or end class later for as many sessions required to compensate
for the time missed;3. assign a paper, project, or a self-directed learning experience which will require
the time span equivalent to one class period;4. by another method proposed by the unit member and approved by the appropriate dean.

If you have a student who is having academic difficulty, please remember to use the
Academic Alert system. The success of the Academic Alert program depends upon the
efforts of instructors, academic counselors and service departments working as a team
to identify students who are at-risk for dropping out or stopping out of college and
connecting them with the services that can help them to persist successfully until
they have reached their goals. You can find the “Send an Academic Alert” link under “My Links” when you log into “MyMCC.”

The end of the semester is often filled with anxiety for students. If they are taking
5 courses, they have 5 final assessments to prepare for. Please respect the time the
college has provided for their preparation. For day students, the final exam period
begins following the last week of classes. For evening students, final exams are
given during the last scheduled class. Please be sure to follow this schedule so that students can plan their work appropriately and have enough time to prepare,
without unplanned conflicts. (The final schedule can be found online or at the back
of the Advising Schedule.)

Because they want to support your teaching and help you with any needs you may have,
the Deans and Assistant Deans are planning to be on both campuses a few evenings each
semester. They won’t interrupt your classes, but you will see them in the buildings.